Towel-dispenser.



C. S. BENNETT.

TOWEL DISPENSER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, l9l7.

1,281, 125. Patented 001. 8, 1918.

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CHARLES S. BENNETT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

Application filed April 19, 1917. Serial No. 163,289.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Towel-Dispenser, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a towel dispenser and particularly pertains to a device for intermittentl feeding short lengths from a strip of toweling, and which is especially adapted for use in wash rooms, lavatories and the like where it is necessary to provide towel service to a number of persons.

It is the object of this invention to provide a simple automatic means for feeding short towel lengths from a bolt of toweling which comprises few parts, can be cheaply manufactured, readily operated, and is not liable to get out of order.

Another object is to provide a towel feeding means in which a gravity feed, effected by the weight of a depending length of toweling, furnishes the feeding power and obviates the use of spring or motor driving mechanism. c

A further object is to provide means for controlling the length of the towel feed embodying a push button or the like and in cluding a construction whereby the depression ,of a push button will permit of the feeding of but one length of towel section.

A further object is to provide means whereby a bolt of toweling may be readily inserted in the dispenser and removed therefrom.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective illustrating the towel dispenser casing and showing the manner in which a .towel length depends therefrom.

Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective with parts broken away showing the towel-carrying and feeding mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a view insection and elevation of a towel feeding and control mechanism illustrating the manner in which a length of toweling is automatically ejected on operation of the control mechanism. v

More specifically 5 indicates a casing which may be of any suitable construction nd is here shown as fqlfmfifil wi h a 5 0 6 on its under side through which a strip of toweling 7 may be fed. 1

The toweling 7 is wound on a panel 8 here shown asdetaohably carried at its ends in pivoted bearings arranged on the longitudinal center of the panel to permit of the latter being rotated in unwinding the toweling therefrom.

This pivotal mounting is here shown as comprising a pair of carrier bars 9 and 10 fitted with trunnions 11 and 12 which extend into bearings 13 and 14: adapted to be mounted on the opposite end panels of the casing. The trunnions are formed with annular channels 15 with which pins 16 in the bearings engage to hold the trunnions against longitudinal movement within the bearings. The bearing 13 is formed on a plate 17 adapted to be connected to one end of the casing by screws or similar fastenings, and the bearing 14 is formed on a plate 18 adapted to be secured to the opposite end of the casing. The carrier bars 9 and 10 are formed with'longitudinal channels 19 to receive :the ends of the panel 8 and means are provided for detachably connecting the panels to the carrier bars, here shown as consisting of spring detents 20 mounted on the carrier bars and arranged to extend through slots 21 therein and to engage notches 21 formed in the panel 8 as shown in Fig. 3. The carrier bar 10 is spaced from the plate 18 and is provided with pins 22 and 23 adjacent its outer endsextending parallel with the trunnion 12.

Pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 24 carried by the plate 18 is a curved rocker arm 25 having a bill 26 formed on its lower end arranged to receive either pin 22 or 23 when the panel 8 extends substantially in a horizontal direction as shown in Fig. 3. Therocker arm is designed to be rocked to move the bill out of engagement with the pin and for this purpose a push rod 27 is provided and pivotally connected to the upper end of the rocker by a pin and slot connection 28. The push rod is sl-idably mounted in a bearing 29 mounted on the casing and extends through the latter as shown in Fig. 1. The outer-end of the push rod is formed with the push button 30.

As a means for normally maintaining the rocker arm in its pin engaging position, a

spring 31 1s o nd on a stop pin 32 an carried around the pivot pin 24 with its opposite end engaging a pin on the rocker arm. This spring serves to maintain the rocker arm against the stop pin, yieldably opposes advance movement of the push rod and restores the rocker arm to its normal position on release of the push rod.

In the operation of the invention the panel 8 carrying the toweling is positioned in the carrier bars as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 with the latter extending horizontally, and one of the pins engaged in the bill.

The toweling is arranged to hang over the edge of the panel adjacent the rocker arm so that the depending portion of the toweling will exert a downward pull on the panel tending to rock same and holding the pin seated in the bill. When it is, desired to is depressed to rock the rocker arm in opposition. to the spring 31 to move the bill out of engagementwith the pin as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The weight of the depending strips of toweling willoperate on release of the bill to swing the panel on its pivotalmounting past a vertical position so thattheweight of the depending strip of toweling will be thrown on the opposite edge of the panel to swing the pin adjacent that edge intoa position to .be engaged by the bill on the latter being restored to its normal position.

As a means for preventing the pin from riding past the bill, which would permit of the toweling being unwound continuously while the bill was in its retracted position, the rocker arm is formed with a curved edge 35 which when the rocker arm is disposed with the bill in its retracted position, will extend in the path of travel of either the pin 22, or 23. The pin will thus strike the curved edge- 35 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and thus limit the rotation of the panel. On release of the push rod the rocker arm will be restored to its normal position whereupon the weight of the towel.- ing will exert a downward pull on the forward edge of the panel and move the latter downwardly to position the pin in engagmentwith the bill. By this construction one operation of the push rod will feed a length of toweling from the machine corresponding to that extending across one side of the panel. If desired only. one pin may be provided in which event the panel will make a complete revolutionon each operation of the push rod and deliver a length of toweling corresponding to twice the width of the panel. By mounting the bearing 14 andtherocker arm on the plate 18 the pivotal point of-thepanel, the pin and the bill may be readily arranged in their proper relations to each other. r

The pivot pin 24 isdisposed in such relacarrier and to the bill engaging pin that a downward pull on the towel will not tend to cause the bill engaging pin to ride out of the bill but on the contrary will cause the pin to be more firmly seated in the bill. This is effected by arranging the pivot pin and the bill engaging pin substantially on the line of pull of the towel.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a towel dispensing device which comprises few parts, easily assembled and operated, and which does not require the employment of power propelled mechanism for its actuation.

While I have shown and described a specific form of the invention, it is manifest that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a toweldispensing device, means for holding a bolt of toweling and means for automatically and intermittently feeding predetermined lengths of the toweling from the bolt embodying manually operated control mechanism cooperating with power exerted from a depended length of toweling. I

2. In a towel dispensing device, a pivoted towel carrier, means for normally holding the carrier against rotation, means for manually releasing the, towel carrier, means whereby the weight of a depending strip of toweling will effect rotation of the carrier to unwind the toweling, and means for automatically limiting the rotation of the carrier whereby various predeterminedlengths of the toweling may be, dispensed from the carrier. r

3. In a towel dispensing device, a pivoted towel carrier adapted to have a strip of toweling wound thereon with a length of toweling depending from one edge tending to rotate same, spring pressed means for normally holding the. carrier againstrotation, manually operated means for releasing the carrier to'permit gravitation of the depend ent towel sectionto rotate the carrier and means for automatically limiting the rotation of the carrier to a partialrevolution.

A. In a towel dispensing device, a pivoted towel carrier adapted to have a strip of toweling wound thereon with a length of toweling depending from one edge thereof and tending to rotate same, a pivoted rocker arm, a bill on said rocker arm, a pin onthe carrier adapted to be engaged by said bill to limit the rotation of the carrier and means for manually actuating the rocker arm to move the bill out of engagement with the pin whereby the carrier will be automatically operated by the weightof the depend- 65 tion to the pivotal mounting of the towel towel carrier adapted to have a strip of toweling wound thereon with a length of toweling depending from one edge thereof and tending to rotate same, a pivoted rocker arm, a bill on said rocker arm, a pin on the carrier adapted to be engaged by said bill to limit the rotation of the carrier, means for manually actuating the rocker arm to move the bill out of engagement with the pin whereby the carrier will be automatically operated by the Weight of the depending strip of toweling, and means for automatically limiting the rotation of the carrier to a partial revolution.

6. In a towel dispensing device, a pivoted towel carrier adapted to have a strip of toweling wound thereon with a length of toweling depending from one edge thereof and tending to rotate same, a pivoted rocker arm, a bill on said rocker arm, a pin on the carrier adapted to be engaged by said bill to limit the rotation of the carrier, means for manually actuating the rocker arm to move the bill out of engagement with the pin whereby the carrier will be automatically operated by the Weight of the depending strip of toweling, and means on the rocker arm for automatically limiting the rotation of the carrier to a partial revolution.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. G.

7 In a towel dispensing device, a pivoted towel carrier adapted to have a strip of toweling wound thereon with a length of toweling depending from one edge thereof and tending to rotate same, a pivoted rocker arm, a bill on said rocker arm, a pin on the carrier adapted to be engaged by said bill to limit the rotation of the carrier, means for manually actuating the rocker arm to move the bill out of engagement with the pin whereby the carrier will be automatically operated by the weight of the depending strip of toweling, means for automatically limiting the rotation of the carrier to a partial revolution, and means for normally maintaining the bill in its pin engagement position.

8. In a towel dispensing device, a pair of pivoted carrier bars, a panel adapted to have a length of toweling wound thereon with a portion extending over one edge thereof, means for detachably connecting the panel to the carriers, means for holding the carrier and panel against rotation adapted to be manually released, and means for normally restoring the panel and carrier holding means to its holding position.

CHARLES S. BENNETT.

Commissioner of Patents, 

